By all accounts the normally strait-laced and preppy Newport Jazz festival was something of a chaotic affair in 1960, with cancelled shows and angry crowds causing trouble, to the point that the National Guard were called in and 200 people arrested. Muddy Waters’ show on the closing Sunday was also very nearly cancelled by the local council but the promoter convinced both the council and the performers to go ahead, as the event was being filmed and recorded. The result was an absolute blistering live set of Chicago Blues that had people dancing in the aisles, and left Waters so hoarse that Otis Spann took over on vocals for the final number, “Goodbye Newport Blues” that had just been written as a response to what had been a wild weekend by Langston Hughes. Forget all of the inferior knock-offs by certain white male artists, this is the real blues and this is exactly how it should be played. Accept no imitations.